Korean manufacturer launches music service offering purchases, subscription streaming and cloud storage in bid to match Apple music service
Samsung has launched a mobile music service in a bid to take on Apple’s hugely successful iTunes service.
The Samsung Music Hub offers a subscription service costing £9.99 per month which allows users to stream from a catalogue of 19 million tracks provided by online music firm 7digital.
It also allows users to upload their existing music collection to cloud storage provided by Samsung which they can then stream to a compatible device.
Music Hub also offers a free service which lets users purchase music from Music Hub’s catalogue which can also be stored in Samsung’s cloud.
The service will be available from today (May 29) in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK on the Samsung SIII, though Samsung says it will be extended to a wider selection of devices “soon”.
Samsung media solutions centre senior vice president TJ Kang said: “When you ask yourself, ‘what do I want to listen to?’ there is now one simple answer, for every mood, every place and everyone.
“With the new Music Hub, we’re bringing the joy back to music – listening, collecting and sharing.”
Music Hub is based on technology developed by a firm called mSpot, which Samsung acquired earlier this year.
The service bears a startling similarity to Apple’s own iTunes service, which last year moved from offering just song purchases to streaming and cloud storage.
Informa media and telecoms analyst Giles Cottle said that it was unsurprising Samsung was trying to emulate Apple in music.
However, he said the firm’s failure to offer a common interface across its TVs and phones suggested it would have a tough task taking on Apple.
He said: “Where Apple is leagues ahead of all its competitors is in the quality of experience it offers across all of its devices, and how well those devices work together
“Without this homogenous cross-device experience, Music Hub will simply be another paid-subscription and cloud music service in a market that is already starting to feel more than a little crowded.”